Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Emergency Burn Ban In Effect 10/26/24 - An emergency burn ban is now in effect for all Connecticut State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management areas, prohibiting the use of all outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors. DEEP and local agencies are working to contain several active fires across the state. Please avoid all affected State Parks and Forests, as well as the blue-blazed Mattabesett Trail. The Enduro Trail in Voluntown and portions of North Stonington within the Pachaug State Forest are closed at this time. Please note that today's forest fire danger report remains at an 'extreme' level. More information about the current fire danger, burn ban and recommended safety measures can be found here

Press Releases

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07/29/2024

DEEP Launches the Draft 2024 Connecticut Clean Hydrogen Roadmap

Public Input on Draft Roadmap Welcome, Comment Period Open Through September 22nd

(HARTFORD)--The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) held a public meeting today to discuss the findings of the Draft 2024 Connecticut Clean Hydrogen Roadmap. Pursuant to  Public Act No. 23-156, and consistent with Connecticut’s greenhouse gas reduction goals as well as DEEP’s Integrated Resource Planning and Comprehensive Energy Strategy that examine the state’s future energy needs and ways to meet those needs, the Draft Roadmap seeks to achieve the following objectives:

  • Articulate Connecticut’s aspirations for clean hydrogen's integration into its energy landscape, outlining its potential contributions to decarbonization, economic growth, and environmental justice
  • Encourage the use of hydrogen produced from renewable energy
  • Guide strategic development of clean hydrogen production, infrastructure, and end use by identifying the target technologies and their associated volumes over time to scale Connecticut’s hydrogen economy
  • Identification of benefits and risks associated with hydrogen and tactics to address the identified risks
  • Recommend policies, programs, and pilot projects to support clean hydrogen development and deployment in alignment with state goals

“Clean Hydrogen has the potential to support Connecticut in achieving its climate goals along with other important state priorities including affordability, economic growth, environmental justice, and energy resiliency and reliability,” said DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes. “The Draft Clean Hydrogen Roadmap provides an in-depth quantitative and qualitative foundation for policymakers to make informed decisions on policies and programs to effectively incentivize the development and deployment of Clean Hydrogen in Connecticut in ways that bring the most benefit to Connecticut residents.”

The primary purpose of the Draft Roadmap is to identify the main drivers of and barriers to clean hydrogen production and adoption as an energy carrier in Connecticut, as well as to understand how clean hydrogen compares with incumbent technologies and other low-carbon alternatives. The Draft Roadmap also proposes a Clean Hydrogen definition for state-support purposes. Based on the above analysis, the roadmap distills a set of recommendations of policies, programs and pilots to support clean hydrogen development and deployment in the state. 

Leaders from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, the University of Connecticut, the Connecticut Green Bank, hydrogen companies, environmental justice and workforce development advocacy organizations, as well as legislative leaders and Congressional Delegation members and representatives, including Congressman John Larson (CT-01), who co-chairs the House Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus, attended the meeting. The event was also an opportunity for Connecticut hydrogen stakeholders to re-convene and discuss broader hydrogen-related relevant topics.

A Notice of Public Meeting and Request of Written Comments was posted on July 24, 2024 on DEEP’s Website and Energy Filings webpage, along with the Draft 2024 Clean Hydrogen Roadmap. DEEP invites all interested persons to submit written comments electronically on or before September 22, 2024.

Anyone interested in receiving updates on this effort should email Lidia.Ruppert@ct.gov and ask to be put on the distribution list for DEEP’s Hydrogen-related initiatives.

Twitter: @CTDEEPNews
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Contact

DEEP Communications  
DEEP.communications@ct.gov
860-424-3110